Sew-Along #22 - Art Museum Vest and Trousers - Preparations

The Art Museum Vest and Trousers by Oliver+S

Before we begin I would like re-introduce our wonderful instructor, Suzanne Winter.  Suzanne has been gracious enough to lead quite a few of our sew-alongs over the years.  

Suzanne has a wealth of sewing knowledge to share and is an amazing sew-along instructor.

In addition to being the mom of three adorable children age 4 and under, Suzanne is also the designer behind the hot new pattern company, Winter Wear Designs.

 

Please help me in welcoming Suzanne back for what is going to be another awesome sew-along.

Now, on to our preparations.

Items to Collect

1. You must have the the Oliver+S Art Museum pattern to be able to take part in this sew-along.  If you have not yet purchased this, please do so here.
   
2. If you do not have fabric for the project you will want to purchase that also.  At the time of this writing we do have fabric kits available.  We also have lots of fun fabric selections on our website. 
   
3. The pattern is a PDF pattern.  You will need a printer, paper, and tape to print and put together your pattern pieces.  We will go over how to piece your pattern together in the first sew-along lesson.
4. The trousers require ¾" wide elastic for the waistband.  If you purchased a kit, you will have received the elastic you need.  If not, please make sure to have some on hand.
5. The trousers and vest require 6-8 ¾" buttons. Again, if you purchased a kit from us you will have received them in your kit. 
6. We will not be teaching how to create the Dapper bow tie since we just taught that in our November SAL.  You can follow along with those instructions here if you would like to make one.  You will also need to own the Dapper pattern, which is located here.
7. If making the Dapper bow tie you will also need to have a bow tie hardware kit.  The Art Museum sew-along kits all came with a bow tie hardware kit.  If you didn't purchase a kit and need to purchase a hardware set, we sell them here.
   
8. About half a yard of lightweight fusible interfacing is required for this pattern.  Once again, if you purchased a kit you will have received this.  If you did not, please make sure you have some on hand.
9. You will need coordinating thread to complete this project.  The project kits did not come with thread, so please make sure you have some.  You will want to probably make sure you have matching thread for the topstitching you will be doing.
10. And finally, you will need pins, a sewing machine, a good iron (a steam iron is preferable for sewing), a pair of fabric shears or a rotary cutter and mat (a rotary cutter and mat is a lifesaver!), a ruler, and a fabric pen or chalk. 
    
    

Optional Items to Collect - The following items are totally optional. 

1. Spray starch will be very helpful during this sew-along.  If you do not own any you might want to purchase some ASAP.
2. You also might want to trace the pattern pieces onto freezer paper.  It makes cutting out your fabric super simple.  If you desire to make freezer paper pattern pieces please make sure to have some freezer paper on hand.  You can find freezer paper at most grocery stores where the wax paper and aluminum foil. 
   
3. A sharpie or other permanent marker for tracing your pattern pieces onto the freezer paper is helpful if you choose to do this step.  I recommend a black sharpie as the colored ones, though more fun, can tend to transfer onto your fabrics when you iron over them.

Things to Do

1. Make sure to prewash and preshrink all of your fabrics.  I wash my fabrics on warm or hot and then I dry my fabrics in the dryer with no softeners.  I always preshrink in this way when I am using fabric for clothing construction. I would hate to work hard on something only to have it shrink and not fit when I was done. 
2. I also prewash my fusible interfacing to preshrink it.  This will prevent any wrinkles or waves that might arise when you iron or launder your garment.  To prewash your interfacing simply soak it in a sink for about 5 minutes in very warm water.  You don't want the water too hot to avoid removing the iron-on finish, but you do want it warm enough to shrink the interfacing.  After soaking, just pat it with a clean towel and hang it to dry. 
3. Press all of your fabrics (but not your fusible interfacing) well.  I try to do this straight out of the dryer so that the wrinkles come out easier.   
4. Make sure to download the pattern and tutorial onto your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Your pattern will be located in your order history on our site.  Log into your account, then click on the My Account at the very top right hand side of our site.  You will then see a list of your orders.  Click on the correct order and a download link will be available. 
5. Don't forget to join our Facebook Sew-Along Group so you can post your progress pictures. Everyone who posts completed lesson pictures, on time, to the Facebook Group, will be entered into drawings to win some awesome prizes!

Happy Sewing,
Danielle Storm
www.whimsicalfabric.com